Joe Biden's War On Drugs

Dans La Lune · Sep 18, 2019

Joe Biden was among the strongest proponents of the War on Drugs, influencing Ronald Reagan himself from the right.

Biden is correct that the surge began in the 1970s and accelerated in the 1980s, but a closer look at his role reveals that it was Biden who was among the principal and earliest movers of the policy agenda that would become the war on drugs and mass incarceration, and he did so in the face of initial reluctance from none other than President Ronald Reagan. Indeed, Reagan even vetoed a signature piece of Biden legislation, which he drafted with arch segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, to create a federal “drug czar.”

At the time, many Republicans were hesitant about increasing federal spending, and in fact looking for ways to slash the budget. Domestically, Reagan wanted to focus on cutting taxes and reducing social welfare spending, and had little interest in an expansive federal spending program geared toward building new prisons and hiring new police. Biden, on the other hand, was a key policy leader among both parties on the issue of expanding funding to states and municipalities for policing and prisons.

Biden is also the one who pushed for the crack v. cocaine drug sentencing disparity.

Biden helped lead the push for the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which lengthened sentences for many offenses, created the infamous 100:1 crack versus cocaine sentencing disparity, and provided new funds for the escalating drug war. Eventually, with his co-sponsorship of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, his long-sought-after drug czar position was created. These and other laws lengthened sentences at the federal level and contributed to an explosion of federal imprisonment — from 24,000 people locked up in 1980 to almost 216,000 in 2013. In short, these laws increased the likelihood that more people would end up in cages and for longer.

Joe Biden Pushed Ronald Reagan to Ramp Up Incarceration

Oborosen · Sep 18, 2019

Dans La Lune said:
Joe Biden was among the strongest proponents of the War on Drugs, influencing Ronald Reagan himself from the right.

Biden is also the one who pushed for the crack v. cocaine drug sentencing disparity.

Joe Biden Pushed Ronald Reagan to Ramp Up Incarceration

Yeah, most people wondered if and when this kind of thing was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

You can't just imprison so many people, for arguably so little in the greater scheme of things and expect people to just forget.

Thoreau72 · Sep 18, 2019

The insanity of the war on drugs was a bipartisan effort, just like the insanity of the war on terror and the AUMF.

When everybody is thinking the same, nobody is thinking.

Praxas · Sep 18, 2019

Oborosen said:
Yeah, most people wondered if and when this kind of thing was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

You can't just imprison so many people, for arguably so little in the greater scheme of things and expect people to just forget.

Right because the Republicans are all about ending the drug war :roll:

The drug war is an area that both the Republicans and Democrats have failed on so it isn't like anyone on the left is going "Oh, well since Biden was against the war on drugs, I better vote Trump".

It may bite him in the ass in the primaries, but in the general election the Republicans have favored no better. At least the left has managed to decriminalize marijuana in many states and make it state-wide legal unlike the right who keeps fighting it.

Dans La Lune · Sep 18, 2019

Praxas said:
Right because the Republicans are all about ending the drug war :roll:

The drug war is an area that both the Republicans and Democrats have failed on so it isn't like anyone on the left is going "Oh, well since Biden was against the war on drugs, I better vote Trump".

It may bite him in the ass in the primaries, but in the general election the Republicans have favored no better. At least the left has managed to decriminalize marijuana in many states and make it state-wide legal unlike the right who keeps fighting it.

Trump beat Hillary in part because of the lack of voter turnout, and because Trump actually flanked Hillary from the left on certain issues. That could easily happen in the general, since Trump has actually done prison reform and Biden refuses to apologize for his terrible history on these issues.

Oborosen · Sep 19, 2019

Praxas said:
Right because the Republicans are all about ending the drug war :roll:

The drug war is an area that both the Republicans and Democrats have failed on so it isn't like anyone on the left is going "Oh, well since Biden was against the war on drugs, I better vote Trump".

It may bite him in the ass in the primaries, but in the general election the Republicans have favored no better. At least the left has managed to decriminalize marijuana in many states and make it state-wide legal unlike the right who keeps fighting it.

I don't recall saying the republicans were doing any better on the subject.

But in case it doesn't come up later, I'm not going to pretend that any of this is any different then from what's been done already. The democrats that are currently rooting for legalization, are most likely doing so simple to get more favor in the primaries and when they do get to where they want to be, or even elected. I'd be interested to see if they actually follow through on such things.

TheParser · Sep 19, 2019

1. I have read that tougher laws were favored by many people of EVERY ethnicity.

2. They sincerely felt that incarceration would deter the horrible consequences of the drug culture, such as unprecedented violent crime and the destruction of the family unit.

3. Although Vice President Biden has no business running for president because of his obvious brain health issues, we should remember that the gentleman was simply a creature of the times.

a. Even the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate said back in those days some very harsh things about young men of a certain ethnicity.

aociswundumho · Sep 20, 2019

Praxas said:
Right because the Republicans are all about ending the drug war :roll:

The only people who support a free market in all drugs is the far right.

At least the left has managed to decriminalize marijuana in many states and make it state-wide legal unlike the right who keeps fighting it.

Only for the tax money, no other reason.

Helix · Sep 20, 2019

i'll still vote for him if he is the nominee. voting out the shouting carrot and Pence is the top priority.

Praxas · Sep 20, 2019

aociswundumho said:
The only people who support a free market in all drugs is the far right.

Bull****, far righties have been crying to have drugs banned.

Only for the tax money, no other reason.

False but I understand why you cons have to lie since you cons are always fighting to keep drugs illegal.

Linc · Sep 20, 2019

Helix said:
i'll still vote for him if he is the nominee. voting out the shouting carrot and Pence is the top priority.

The war on Biden is coming from both extreme wings.

aociswundumho · Sep 20, 2019

Praxas said:
Bull****, far righties have been crying to have drugs banned.

Who? The Libertarian Party is far right and they support full legalization. Even far right conservatives like Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell supported full legalization of all drugs.

False

It's not false. They would never have legalized it without the sin taxes.

bomberfox · Sep 20, 2019

Praxas said:
Right because the Republicans are all about ending the drug war :roll:

The drug war is an area that both the Republicans and Democrats have failed on so it isn't like anyone on the left is going "Oh, well since Biden was against the war on drugs, I better vote Trump".

It may bite him in the ass in the primaries, but in the general election the Republicans have favored no better. At least the left has managed to decriminalize marijuana in many states and make it state-wide legal unlike the right who keeps fighting it.

Dont think this bit of whataboutery was needed.

bomberfox · Sep 20, 2019

Linc said:
The war on Biden is coming from both extreme wings.

Im just like what in the hell makes him so special?

Helix · Sep 20, 2019

Linc said:
The war on Biden is coming from both extreme wings.

Probably.

MTAtech · Sep 20, 2019

Oborosen said:
Yeah, most people wondered if and when this kind of thing was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

You can't just imprison so many people, for arguably so little in the greater scheme of things and expect people to just forget.

Hark, how terrible that after 31 years someone changes their position.

Oborosen · Sep 27, 2019

MTAtech said:
Hark, how terrible that after 31 years someone changes their position.

In this case, it's not as simple as simply changing one's position.

Abbazorkzog · Sep 27, 2019

Yeah, judging by recent developments I'd definitely say going with Joe Biden as the nominee is a risky move, probably not worth it. Elizabeth Warren is the clear and obvious happy medium between the Sanders-AOC and Obama-Clinton wings of the party...

Overitall · Sep 27, 2019

All that matters (when it comes to Biden and drugs) is he didn't try to ban drugs which help against dementia.

Joe Biden's War On Drugs

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Joe Biden's War On Drugs

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Doctor D

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Doctor D

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NIMBY

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